Welcome to Tim Kern INK		Note from Tim: Thank you for coming to this site. This site is updated periodically. If you're looking for news and interesting features, visit www.121five.com. Have a look anyway – I need the click-throughs! Questions? Please just email me.
Standard & Custom Services Press Releases: Every move you make should be accompanied by a press release. I can work with your information and produce what you need very quickly. (When one client locked in financing in the Middle East after midnight US time, his press release was ready for distribution by dawn in the US.) Standard fee is $250.00, and this now includes email distribution to my list of English-language aviation publications, a good sampling of non-English aviation pubs (over 300 in all), and anyone else you would like. (You furnish their addresses.) Recommended lead time: two business days. Brochures: Each product or service you offer should have a brochure, and it is not a bad idea to have a comprehensive marketing piece, as well. I have developed a layout technique that allows bleed printing on 8½ x 11 paper, saving a large part of the printing costs. These savings are passed directly to you. For about $1000, you can have your color brochures ready to take to your printer. Formats supported are both Quark xPress (currently ver. 7.31) and .pdf. Recommended lead time: 1~2 months – we need to work together on this! (Rush jobs are accommodated as work permits.) White Papers: When you want to explain your uniqueness in a professional way, over several pages, there is no better way than through a white paper. Typically six to ten pages long and written as a technical information piece, white papers typically contain in-depth discussion and explanation of factors your clients and customers should be considering, along with competitors’ information, expert opinion, and technical specification. Is there a problem with the ways in which information about your product group is tested or presented? Do reviews in standard magazines leave out important features, or emphasize less-important ones too highly? A white paper can explain exactly what you wish people would understand, highlighting your advantages and showing your product or service in all its best lights. White papers generally cost less than a single full-page ad in a major industry magazine, with prices as low as $4000. Recommended lead time: at least 2 months, depending on depth of research and industry activity levels. (When you think of it, that’s less time than it takes to prepare and publish that print ad!) Newsletters: A regular distribution to your clients, dealers, and prospects keeps your name before them, and makes it easy for them to find you, when the buying decision-time arrives. Proofing and Editing, for websites and your own materials: You do the essential writing, and I’ll go over it, checking spelling, syntax, grammar, and construction. Before you go to print with your manual, your press release, or your brochure, send the final draft to me, and I’ll examine it for errors and for clarity of message. It’s a fair bet that your website has a few typos in it, as well. (I’m not a “web guy,” but I can assure that your text will be flawless, and send the message you’re trying to send!) This work can be done at any time, and is quoted by the job or by the hour. Marketing Strategy: You have to have a plan, and you have to stay with it, modifying it when circumstances or opportunities change. I have a finger on the pulse of the industry, and can react and plan with you, to help maximize the effectiveness of your marketing. When you are ready to reach your clientele, you’ll need to answer: What venues are essential? Which are merely desirable; which are potentially ineffective? How can you get the best rates, and when should each marketing phase be rolled out? Ad Agency Services: Invited clients use the market analysis and placement strategy available only through Tim Kern INK. To get your answers and the help you need, just email or call 863-651-6095. Note: In answer to a problem voiced by a large manufacturer, I developed a new website model, manifest in www.121five.com. It is designed to bring aviation news directly from the newsmaker to the press and to the public. Find out more: www.121five.com/about.aspx --Tim	Tim Kern who?		Tim Kern INK: Getting Your Message to Your People
	Tim Kern writes about aviation, and for aviation-related companies. He has an MBA from Northwestern University, and is an NBAA-certified CAM (Certified Aviation Manager). The Written Word Tim's aviation writing was instrumental in launching the daily version of the Aero-News Network in 2000, where he wrote or edited between 80 and 100 news items and features per week until November, 2003; since then, he has written for AVweb, Plane & Pilot, Private Pilot, Aviation Safety, CONTACT! Magazine, The Transponder, ASTM Standardization News, Engine Air, Today's Pilot, Ultraflight, Professional Pilot, Aviation Maintenance, EAA Sport Aviation, EAA Sport Pilot, Fly Corporate Europe, Pilot, Plein Vol, Pilot Journal, Air Shows Magazine, Millennium Momentum, GA Buyer, Atlantic Flyer, and Pilot Getaways magazine, among others. Tim wrote the monthly Engine Beat column and the “Designer Spotlight” feature series in *Kitplanes* magazine, writes Pilot Journal's “On the Radar” features, often contributes the feature, “Building Basics” for EAA Sport Aviation, and initiated and continues to write the “Don't Know, Don't Care” series in Aviation Maintenance. A former photo studio owner and professional photographer (Tim's work has appeared in numerous newspapers, aviation magazines, and once in The Saturday Evening Post), Tim has the ability to supplement many articles and press releases with photos. Many photos that illustrate Tim's stories enter through his lens. Tim's ability to write to an aviation audience is bolstered by his contacts, his experience as a pilot (single engine, land and sea, taildragger -- “I'm no 'hero' pilot, just a pilot,” he says) and especially as a teacher and talk-show host. Long experience in high-performance arenas (as a machinist, race driving instructor, motorcycle racer, and as a crew member on the Can-Am championship winning Chaparral racing team) gives him technical insight most journalists can receive only second-hand. As evidence, Tim also covers the Reno Air Races for the Reno Gazette Journal, and has covered this event for EAA Sport Aviation, Pilot, and Kitplanes. Tim did the online reporting for both Aero-News (through 2003) and AvWeb (in 2004). If you are in need of a sterling press release or white paper, Tim Kern can write it for you, or with you. Long experience writing in the world of aviation has resulted in a library of interesting articles, including interviews, aircraft profiles, and insights. Tim understands and can communicate the technical language of a number of disciplines. Tim Kern is your help, when it comes to polishing, or reconfiguring your corporate messages. He offers original writing services, ghost writing, and editing services, to fit a wide range of audiences. If your image is in need of a remake, or just a shining up, we can help. Tim also provides ad copy and catalog-writing services, either independently or as part of your overall public relations effort. If your business needs to change, or to assimilate new players: Tim Kern, as a teacher, made a living explaining things and challenging minds, in settings from high school through postgraduate. (Tim currently is on the adjunct faculty of the business school at Ivy Tech and the Falls School of Business at Anderson University, teaching Economics courses.) The teaching/discovery approach can bring groups to a new conviction, or enhance understanding of a corporate direction, solidifying each individual’s conviction and support. After all, a belief born of conviction and reason can stand up better than one born of sloganeering. Making it Easy For You: Agency Services If you believe you would be well-served by beginning an advertising campaign, or if you would like to maintain and upgrade your print and web presence, Tim Kern INK will research your market and help you “take dead aim” at your target market. After we determine your advertising needs, we can develop your theme, plan your ad campaign, and create the image you need to project. After proper research and consideration of budget, we'll compose and place your ad in the most-beneficial venues. You'll receive just one bill, for the ad composition, photography and artwork (if necessary), ad copy, layout, and placement in the best places for you.
			Tim Kern, d/b/a Tim Kern INK http://timkern.com telephone (USA) cell: 863-651-6095 mail: Tim Kern INK P.O. Box 30 Anderson, Indiana 46015-0030 USA office: 700 N Meridian St, Suite 290 Anderson, IN 46016 email: info@timkern.com help@121five.com RATES: Work is quoted by the hour or by the job. Standard Press Release (you supply information): $250.00 Custom Press Release (research or extensive rewriting required): quoted by the release. Press Releases can also be displayed on www.121five.com, through special arrangement. Ad Copy: The less said, the better – if the copy is getting your message across! (Ad copy writing is quoted by the assignment.) White Papers: Sometimes, you need to make several points, or the point you need to make requires background. White Papers are increasingly popular tools, used in selling high-dollar items, either to industry or to consumers. More than a press release; more than a series of advertisements, white papers are essentially “journal articles” that explain the features and superiority of your product. Typically 3000~5000 words, white papers take the time to deliver facts, charts, and competitive information that seriously interested parties need. (Quoted by assignment) Press Release Distribution: Tim Kern Inc. maintains an extensive database of aviation editors, and will distribute your press releases if you like. Tim can also distribute to your own list, or add your list to his. Most publications are written in English, though some recipients are foreign-language publications. If Tim writes the releases, this service is free. Feature articles and event coverage: fee depends on research, photography, and expenses, as well as article size, topic, and deadline. Editing, Catalog copy, and Ghost Writing: fees vary by the job Advertising Agency Services: Creative and standard agency fees apply; specially qualified clients only.